The exhibit opens on Thursday September 25th at Known Gallery (441 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036) and will continue to be on show until October 5th.

MALL is Joe’s debut feature film. Co-starring Vincent D’Onofrio (who pulls triple duty as star/ producer/ screenwriter), Cameron Monaghan (TV’s SHAMELESS) and Gina Gershon (KILLER JOE), MALL examines a group of disaffected suburbanites who find themselves at a shopping mall in the midst of a seemingly random shooting. The film will be distributed throughout North American theaters and all major digital platforms on October 17th via Paragon Pictures in association with Silver Lining Entertainment.

September 6th to the 28th, created by artist Doug Aitken. This train runs between New York and San Francisco. From TheVerge.com:

“At each of nine stops, a core group of artists will be joined by performers both famous and unknown: Beck, Cat Power, Giorgio Moroder, and more are all set to appear at points across the country. In Chicago, five yurts will separate Union Station into a series of galleries; in Winslow, Arizona, artist Ed Ruscha will make cactus omelets.”

This week, I had a short visit with a new friend, Michael Huynh of Publish Brand Apparel. He’s a smart and intense dude who built a company from the ground up. His dad was a shoe cobbler with some experience in clothing, and never wanted his son to be in the apparel business, since he saw it as tough, low-paying, and service-based. Michael’s dad wanted him to be a lawyer or doctor. So Michael hid the idea of Publish from his dad.

The idea of Michael’s company came from his infatuation with a specific moment in the creative process: the moment when something becomes “real.” For many, like myself, the buildup of time and energy behind a creative passion can be all-consuming to the maker, but there is often a sense of disconnection. When you’re making something creative–an album, a book, or a clothing line, for example–countless hours may go into a project, over a long span of time. During that time, it’s hard for other people to understand or appreciate the sweat and stress of making it work, the frustration of hitting dead ends and getting it wrong, and the overwhelming joy of getting it right. Your parents and friends will ask, “how is it going?” but there’s really no answer you can give them that will help them understand.

Really, you’re working toward the moment when you get “published”–the moment when you finally get to show everyone what you’ve been up to. Only then can they truly feel the effort that went into it, and begin to understand.

That feeling is one that I understand intimately, and it’s the feeling that Michael’s company was built on. He told me a great story about it: when Michael finally got his own space, his own office and warehouse, he didn’t even invite his dad to his opening party, for fear that his Dad would be disappointed in the small office. Then, in the middle of the party, he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder…his father had crashed the party to see what his son was up to.

Michael was embarrassed and anxious as he showed his dad around the place. But in the end, his dad gave him some of his most important encouragement. And today, Michael is in the middle of a breakthrough in “publishing” his brand right now, finally turning heads with his creations. In particular, their hats are kinda blowing up.

Unfortunately, as we were hanging out and talking, I didn’t think to take any photos. But if I had, I would have taken a picture of the craziest thing I found at their warehouse: the guy hand-making Publish’s popular hats is Michael’s own dad.

In a day and age where everything is computerized and streamlined, it’s often easy for fans to forget or question that there’s a human being on the creation side of the equation. So sometimes it’s the human touch that makes the biggest difference.

Here’s a quick little barrage of stuff I’ve been into lately. First, a shout out to everyone affected by hurricane Sandy–Music for Relief is partnering with International Medical Corps to support mobile medical units in Haiti and Save the Children to support Child Friendly Spaces in the U.S. Donate here.

Moving on; I wasn’t going to blog about any of the following things individually, but as they added up, I thought I’d share them with you, in case you missed some or all of them.

Thanks to my buddy Tal for sending me this link. A great clip for all the experts and haters on the internet. Video / song by SKisM.

Kendrick Lamar’s “good kid m.A.A.d city” album just came out, and I’ve got it on repeat. With that said, this track was just made and released (not on the album), reportedly as a celebration that the album has been selling well and getting great reviews. Shout out to Kendrick and team.

Lastly (while you’re listening to that) check out these images from the new show coming up at Lazarides. I know I just blogged about their last show, but this new show is the kind of star-studded affair that makes me mad I’m not going to be in London to see it. JR, Conor Harrington, Micallef, Kelsey Brookes, and Banksy, among others:

I just got an email from the good folks at Lazarides Galleries. They’re doing their annual show at The Old Vic Tunnels. The show, BEDLAM, will feature works by Antony Micallef, Conor Harrington, Ian Francis, War Boutique, and others.

For many of us, Micallef is a favorite–truly a modern master. Lazarides gave me sent me images of these two incredible new pieces with you:

“Squids are one of many animals capable of changing color when they feel threatened, frightened, or just need to be a little dressier, but while many animals can change color, almost none can do it as quickly as squid…In an effort to find out what stimulates those cells, the DIY bio-hackers at Backyard Brains teamed with resaerchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Using a technique they had already tested by making a cockroach dance, the team attached an electrode to the squid’s dorsal fin, allowing them to send electrical impulses into the animal. The electrical impulses they chose to deliver? The Cypress Hill classic ‘Insane in the Brain.’”

The tour begins tonight in Bristow, Virginia. And besides the music, we’ve got something special at each show for you.

At each stop, you’ll find a limited-edition tour poster designed just for your city. The one above, for tonight, was done by REYES. Every show will feature a different design by a different artist. All in limited quantities, none will be reproduced after this run.

Linkin Park and Hasbro are collaborating on a super-limited LINKIN PARK EDITION SOUNDWAVE. It’s a new and exclusive model based on the original 1984 toy, the one I grew up playing with. It includes Lazerbeak, Buzzsaw, and Ravage. There will only be 2000 units, available at SURU and comic/hobby shops.

Hasbro is currently showing a sample of it, inside the Transformers booth at Comicon. Here are some pics from Les, the designer. Shout out to Mr. Hahn for overseeing its golden glory on our end (no, it’s not real gold).